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I'm buying a MSI 7970 Lightning this friday and need help.

The details from the OCZ website are rather scant and somewhat misleading since it recommends that PSU for '1-PCIE High Power' & 'High Power PCI-E Video Card: cards with two power connectors'.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/support/power-supply-selector/

The first x number of posts in this thread didn't appreciate the lack of correct PCI-E connections to the PSU. At best the OP would have been short by 1 6pin but as it later transpired that the 8 pin is really only a 6 pin then the OP is short of either 2 6 pin cables or 1 proper 8 pin cable along with the capability of the PSU to support these additional connections. Either way the advice to replace the PSU with one that had sufficient PCI-E connections was correct.
 
thenewoc said:
The details from the OCZ website are rather scant and somewhat misleading since it recommends that PSU for '1-PCIE High Power' & 'High Power PCI-E Video Card: cards with two power connectors'.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/support/power-supply-selector/

The first x number of posts in this thread didn't appreciate the lack of correct PCI-E connections to the PSU. At best the OP would have been short by 1 6pin but as it later transpired that the 8 pin is really only a 6 pin then the OP is short of either 2 6 pin cables or 1 proper 8 pin cable along with the capability of the PSU to support these additional connections. Either way the advice to replace the PSU with one that had sufficient PCI-E connections was correct.
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So it was a good idea to get new psu. I'm so glad I came here first. Thanks for everyone's help:)
 
Rusty0611 said:
Basically, you're saying if it doesn't blow now it'll blow at some undefined time in the future.

Come on there's no need to scare people into buying a new PSU for no reason.
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Im not scaring him into doing anything! :confused:

Hes a grown man who makes his own decisions Im just giving him the facts he will do with it as he pleases!

Im saying something that is overloaded will wear a lot faster. how much faster depends on how hard its worked.
 
But he has a 750W PSU as well.

As he has a SB-E chip his power usage will be higher but to the tone of being 'overloaded'?

Doubt it.
 
Rusty0611 said:
Right, first point: it's 'you're'

Considering most people believe that PSU's shouldn't be ran at close to max load then 450-500W (peak) on a 750W unit is about right.

I'm not sure why you've taken exception to my post: I don't think recommending a 650W PSU over a 600W quantifies as scaremongering but OK if you feel the need to defend your recommendation when no-one is questioning it :D.
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It's also "PSUs" too.

Aside from that, I do believe he's scaremongering.

People tend not to live in the realworld when they talk about the capabilities of PSUs. It seems to happen with older generation graphics cards too. The moment a new range of faster graphics cards come out, people seem to think that the older cards are incapable of playing the games as the have been at 1920x1080, and you get the whole "it'll be just about okay at medium settings" when the day before it was fine maxed.

Okay, I might be exaggerating, but it's something like that.
 
Rusty0611 said:
But he has a 750W PSU as well.

As he has a SB-E chip his power usage will be higher but to the tone of being 'overloaded'?

Doubt it.
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overloaded from the point of view the card will be trying to draw 150w possibly through a 75w 6 pin connection. If it didnt need 2 x 8pin they wouldnt have put them on there.

My kid has a 850w enermax galaxy. great psu but has no 8pin connections and watts are spread over 5 rails.
Im going to have to get him a new psu because I managed to get him a 580 classified for his xmas and it needs 2 x 8pin and 1 x 6pin and although I think I know the enermax will cope Im not going to take the risk because it will put up with it for so long then give up.

Thats a fact then its what it takes with it. Im not trying to be a **** I just dont want gregsters pc to die or anyone elses so quit being so hostile man.
where all here because we want to be.... :)
 
gregster said:
I am going to jump in here without reading further (for now). I have SLI 680's and one 680 is connected to the 2*8 pin connectors I have coming from my PSU. I have 2 more PCI-E connectors and they are only 6 pin. Therefore I purchased 2 bitfenix braided 6 to 8 pin cables to be able to connect my other 680. I have them massively overclocked and have no problems.

Somebody will probably tell me to bin my PSU and get a PSU with 4*8 pin connectors but I will ignore and stay as I am.

(just using your point for reasoning Optima) :)
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Depends what wattage your PSU is delivering down those PCI-E 8pin and 6pin connections, it may be more prudent to put one 8pin connection on each card rather than having both going to the same card.
 
spoffle said:
It's also "PSUs" too.

Aside from that, I do believe he's scaremongering.

People tend not to live in the realworld when they talk about the capabilities of PSUs. It seems to happen with older generation graphics cards too. The moment a new range of faster graphics cards come out, people seem to think that the older cards are incapable of playing the games as the have been at 1920x1080, and you get the whole "it'll be just about okay at medium settings" when the day before it was fine maxed.

Okay, I might be exaggerating, but it's something like that.
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What are you talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are exaggerating. Wind your neck in spoffle
 
My 2 other 8 pin connectors use 2*2 pin connectors from the 6 pins so effectively I have 4 6 pin connectors. Seriously, I will be hanging onto this PSU as I feel without the knowledge of power usages, if it blows, I will then buy another. I am not disagreeing at all with the power requirements, just that for £150~ I will gamble on it :)
 
gregster said:
My 2 other 8 pin connectors use 2*2 pin connectors from the 6 pins so effectively I have 4 6 pin connectors. Seriously, I will be hanging onto this PSU as I feel without the knowledge of power usages, if it blows, I will then buy another. I am not disagreeing at all with the power requirements, just that for £150~ I will gamble on it :)
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6+2 generally means it's an 8 pin with a detachable 2 pin to fit 6 pin connector sockets or double up as 8 pin if required.

My PSU has 4 as such.
 
gregster said:
My 2 other 8 pin connectors use 2*2 pin connectors from the 6 pins so effectively I have 4 6 pin connectors. Seriously, I will be hanging onto this PSU as I feel without the knowledge of power usages, if it blows, I will then buy another. I am not disagreeing at all with the power requirements, just that for £150~ I will gamble on it :)
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Fair enough if you're happy taking the gamble. If you replaced it before it blew up though you'd be able to sell the old one and offset the cost of the new one.
 
cammy5477 said:
This helps make sense of it mate


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-specifications-atx-reference,3061-12.html
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I knew all of that already, what I mean is that the adaptor they ship with "fools" the card in to thinking it's connected to an 8-pin connector where is in reality it's fitted to a 6-pin connector

which suggests to me that the 7970 lightning doesn't actually require 8-pin connectors and it's just a marketing ploy


thenewoc said:
Fair enough if you're happy taking the gamble. If you replaced it before it blew up though you'd be able to sell the old one and offset the cost of the new one.
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the PSU is not the issue, it's the connector... connectors are rated to carry a certain amount of power and if you drive them too hard they overheat which causes increased resistance and you get in to a bit of a negative feedback loop and you'll suffer voltage drop across the connector (which will be bad for overclocking stability)

2 6-pins + the socket will be 225w - a stock 680 uses about 170w so even with overclocking gregster is probably fine to be using 6 pins alround (this is also why I was pointing out how silly people were in saying that they needed to buy 680's or 670's with 8pin connectors when they don't require anywhere near that amount of power)
 
I will email Antec and ask as unless anybody here works in the PSU industry, I will not be buying another PSU on guess work.
 
Rusty0611 said:
Please stop scare mongering.

It sounds like you haven't really got any experience on what you're advising.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2139781
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It's not scare mongering! The 680 Lightning has two 8 pin connectors on each and therefore there must be a reason for it having those otherwise they'd put 6pin ones on it. Gregster stated he only has 2 6+2pin connections and 2 6pin connectors. Personally I'd want to connect 2 6+2pin or 2 8pin connections to each card as that is what the design suggests is required. It is also no bad thing to have more than enough Watts rather than running things closer to their max.
 
thenewoc said:
It's not scare mongering! The 680 Lightning has two 8 pin connectors on each and therefore there must be a reason for it having those otherwise they'd put 6pin ones on it. Gregster stated he only has 2 6+2pin connections and 2 6pin connectors. Personally I'd want to connect 2 6+2pin or 2 8pin connections to each card as that is what the design suggests is required. It is also no bad thing to have more than enough Watts rather than running things closer to their max.
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The problem is you have no idea what you're talking about, but also posting your "opinions" as fact.
 
But you miss my point about the 2 8 pin connectors have 2 of the pins spur off from the 6 pin connectors. Surely this is in reality only a 6 pin connector still?

Edit:

You have not once asked me what make and model of PSU I am using...
 
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